Hi all, my name is Lisa, I am new on this forum. I am in my 20s and finally have moved somewhere permanent enough to have goldfish. My fiance doesnt quite understand my obsession haha. I had a goldfish when I was little, I won him at a fair and he lived for 10 years and was probaby around 10 inches long when he died, he lived in a 10 gallon tank, I was so devastated when he passed away it really is amazing how attached you can get to them. dont ask me how that fish survived all that time, I certainly wasnt as good at taking care of fish as a youngster. Anyways so that is why I love goldfish so much.

I currently have two goldfish that I've had for about 2 months, one black moor and one fan tail, they are probably both around 3 months old. They are in a 10 gallon tank right now, I know this isnt big enough for them so I am planning on buying at least a 29 gallon tank. I do about 2-3 water changes a week, I take out 1/4 of the water and replace it with fresh as well as using the stuff that makes tap water safe and removes ammonia, cant remember what it is called, I also replace the filter once every two weeks. Anyways, both fish look happy and healthy...is it OK that I keep them in the 10 gallon tank for a few more weeks until I can get a bigger tank? I feel like a bad fish mommy but the 10gallon was all I had at the time.

Also, the person at the store where I got them told me my black moor might change colors because they only stay black if they are housed with other black fish...is that true?

First of all, the person at the store is full of sh*t As always. Moors stay black forever and ever, being the only goldfish that actually can. Some of them do turn orange as they grow older, but the vast majority stay velvety black

Glad to hear that you're taking such good care of your goldfish too! You've got a really good schedule with the water changes etc, so they'll be fine for even a few months! But of course, the sooner you get the tank, the better When you'll have the bigger one, it's a good idea to change out half the water or more every week. In case you're worried about shocking the fish in doing so, there's no need. The more water you change, and the shorter time between the water changes, the less the water quality can change between them. As long as you keep the temperature of the fresh water the same as the tank's water, it's fine!

I had to keep my fish in a 10 gallon for almost a year o_O I was changing 75% of the water twice a week or more in the end |: What a bliss it was to get the 83 gallon up and going, tee hee Bet you'll feel the same once your bigger tank will be ready! Do you know how the cycling works too?

Cycling is the process of using a filter of some kind to neutralize harmful bacteria in the water. You should be cycling the tank they are in now, as well as the one you will get in the future. To cycle a tank, one should have a filter of some kind, (i.e. sponge, carbon, under-gravel...) churning out a large ammount of water 24/7...Nossie will probably go into more depth. This will enable your fish to live happy, long, healthy lives without the discomfort of constantly changing water parameters. It is a good idea to test the water every day while cycling, then once every week or so when the tank is established. Ammonia and nitrite should be 0, nitrate in levels below 40 ppm. While beginning to cycle the tank, sometimes these levels spike or drop to dangerous ammounts. It is good to use a water conditioner like Prime or Amquel.

Probably a good idea to get a book, although for specific questions you learn a lot at places like these.

(Karma for Goldiegirl for the good answer )I'd recommend "Fancy Goldfish" by Rick Hess Very good book, it can seem a bit advanced in the beginning, but you'll figure it out, it has a load of useful information (Although, ignore the part about not keeping any gravel or plants in the tank or not feeding live foods >>)

You should definitely buy a test kit now, and test the water in the current tank whether it's cycled or not. If you don't know, your fish may be in danger :/ You need to cycle all systems to make them safe for fish! The process itself may take several weeks, so patience is needed. If you'll buy the test kit, you'll need to check pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If there is any ammonia present, your tank isn't cycled, and you'll need to keep up with water changes every time you notice that the ammonia levels are dangerous. Test the water every single day, and change out about half the water according to test results. Adding beneficial bacteria will speed up the process and keep your fish safe. I used "fluid bio filter media" by Easylife, and it helped me cycle my tank in two weeks So check out a few brands and see which one would fit you best (Price-wise and how it works with the dosage).

(Thanks Nossie! One for you as well, your answers are always superb. )

Also, one thing I would add, test kits are generally inexpensive. However, ammonia testing is usually not included in the cheaper ones. If you don't want to drop a large ammount of money, you can always bring a water sample to your LFS and they will test it for you.

awesome, thanks everyone, I will go and get a water testing kit and make sure it tests for ammonia. As far as the cycling goes I will buy a book...I do have a filter which has kept the tank pretty clean, I also change the filter every 2 weeks, I bought that blue stuff and cut it to the size of my filter which is more cost effective with the amount of filter changes I do. I talked in depth about this stuff with the person at petsmart who *said* he was getting his PhD in icthiology...however you spell that. He raises goldfish so he definetely gave me some good pointers. As far as the "beneficial bacteria"..is this something I buy? Or is it something that happens naturally with the fish food, etc?

I am very much a beginner here but I also ended up with 3 fish in a 10 gallon tank... I kept them alive and relatively heathy for a few months (with the assistance of all the lovely folk here!!!). When I got my testing kit and started cycling the tank, I found the Nitrites stayed very high (bright purple) and the Nitrates were through the roof (bright red) (the ammonia dropped to 0 though) ! And this was with 50% water changes every day!!! I am not sure how the fish survived it actually...

This was all very hard work and very stressful for the fish AND me... I didnt want them to be in any pain It is soooo much better when you get a big new tank!!! Believe me! I can enjoy my fish now rather than stressing about them!

Ireiden: Yes, you buy beneficial bacteria. But... I'm a little concerned when you say that you change your filter media every 2 weeks. Your tank has to be full of ammonia by now since you force it to cycle again and again every two weeks!! :/ You should never change all the filter media at once!! Only half at a time, and even that only when it starts getting soggy. Clean it in tank water during the water changes if it gets dirty. And if it gets very dirty during a week, you'll need a bigger filter with more space for filter media. Remember that for the bigger tank! Especially goldfish need a lot of filter media to deal with their waste. Just because the water LOOKS "clean" doesn't mean it is. You can't see the concentrations of ammonia or nitrite

wiki: I had the same thing, three little fantails Kept them alive with the same methods... Goldfish are incredibly hardy fish indeed when you start thinking about what they're put through!